"REEL Club Recommends" is a suggestion of movies available thru Kanopy, a fantastic and free library database available to all with a valid Whittier Public Library card.  It consists of thousands of independent, international, classic and documentary films.  Check back monthly for a fresh new list of recommendations. 

Here’s how to get started: 
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3. Add your library card number. 
4. Start watching videos! You have 10 film play credits available per calendar month. 

 

 

December 2021

Holiday Season

 

The Man Who Invented Christmas 

2017 / 105 Mins / PG 

This is the story of the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer), Tiny Tim and other classic characters from A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) mixed real life inspirations with his vivid imagination to conjure up unforgettable characters and a timeless tale, forever changing the holiday season into the celebration we know today.  

 

Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas: 

Jewish Songwriters Composing Christmas Music 

2017/ 53 Mins / Not Rated 

Set almost entirely in a Chinese restaurant, DREAMING OF A JEWISH CHRISTMAS is an offbeat, irreverent musical documentary that tells the story of a group of Jewish songwriters, including Irving Berlin, Mel Torme, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Gloria Shayne Baker and Johnny Marks, who wrote the soundtrack to Christianity's most musical holiday. 

It's an amazing tale of immigrant outsiders who became irreplaceable players in pop culture's mainstream - a generation of songwriters who found in Christmas the perfect holiday in which to imagine a better world, and for at least one day a year, make us believe in it. 

 

Jingle Bell Rocks!

2013/ 95 Mins / Not Rated 

A trippy, cinematic sleighride into the strange and sublime universe of alternative and underground Xmas music, featuring The Flaming Lips, Run-DMC, The Free Design, Low, Miles Davis and Bob Dorough, Clarence Carter, John Waters, and many more. 

 

Road Trip for Ralphie 

 A Christmas Story Documentary

2010/ 82 Mins / Not Rated 

Tyler and Jordie Schwartz grew up loving the movie A Christmas Story. Although they didn't know each other as kids, the couple always shared the same annual anticipation of waiting for the movie to air on television. Once they finally met, they were delighted to discover their mutual admiration for the classic Christmas movie. 

Some time later, they discovered that entrepreneur Brian Jones had purchased Ralphie's house in Cleveland, and was restoring it to its movie grandeur. Knowing that much of the movie was also filmed near where they live in Canada, they hatched a plan to visit all the locations used in the movie to see what they look like today. But first they had to find out the locations of the locations! 

During an adventure spanning two years and two countries, they uncovered forgotten facts, discovered little-known locations and recovered long-lost memorabilia. Join the filmmakers as they visit more than 15 locations in Canada and Cleveland to learn amazing trivia about the movie and the people who made it. Also included are rare documents and interviews from crew members in Cleveland and Toronto who worked on the film back in 1983. 

 

Black Christmas 

1974/ 98 Mins / PG 

The college town of Bedford is receiving an unwelcome guest this Christmas. As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sigma prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins to stalk the house. One of the earliest examples of a slasher film, this creepy holiday classic is sure to terrify and delight classic horror lovers everywhere. 

 

November 2021

Noirvember 

Memento 

2019 / 21 Mins / R 

In this revealing documentary, eleven people with a range of backgrounds discuss what it is like being of mixed racial heritage within the context of North America. Each of the participants presents their unique outlook on growing up mixed and the challenges they've faced in their lives. 

No two experiences are identical when speaking about their journey of how each person came to perceive themselves. Many speak of the difference between how they saw themselves versus how the world at large treated them. There are several instances of being "othered" by friends and relatives alike or how seeds of doubt were planted at childhood to disrupt their own sense of self. The interviewees voice unique concerns about acceptance, culture, and society and how even their own self-identification undergoes shifts. 

 

Breathless  

1960 / 91 Mins / Not Rated 

There was before Breathless, and there was after Breathless. Jean-Luc Godard burst onto the film scene in 1960 with this jazzy, free-form, and sexy homage to the American film genres that inspired him as a writer for Cahiers du cinema. With its lack of polish, surplus of attitude, anything-goes crime narrative, and effervescent young stars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, Breathless helped launch the French New Wave and ensured that cinema would never be the same. 

 

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 

2005 / 103 Mins / R 

From producer Joel Silver and screenwriter Shane Black, both of Lethal Weapon fame, comes an action-comedy spoof of rough-and-tumble buddy films--KISS KISS BANG BANG. A private detective (Val Kilmer - Alexander), a thief posing as a struggling actor (Robert Downey Jr. - Gothika) and an actual struggling actress (Michelle Monaghan - The Bourne Supremacy) become entangled in a murder mystery filled with twists, turns, betrayal and, most importantly, romance. 

 

Chinatown 

1974 / 131 Mins / R 

A landmark movie in the film-noir tradition, CHINATOWN stands as a true screen classic. Jack Nicholson is private eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together. 

 

Le Samourai 

1967/ 101 Mins / Not Rated 

In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays a contract killer with samurai instincts. 

A razor-sharp cocktail of 1940s American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop culture--with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology--maverick director Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece LE SAMOURAI defines cool. 

 

Woman on the Run 

1950 / 79 Mins / Not Rated 

A lost gem rediscovered! Thanks to the efforts of the Film Noir Foundation, this terrific 1950 film noir, the only American print of which was burned in a 2008 fire, has been rescued and restored to its original luster. Join the wild chase around San Francisco as a man goes into hiding after witnessing a gangland execution. Police bird-dog his wife Eleanor (Ann Sheridan), certain she'll lead them to her husband, whose testimony against the killer could bring down a crime kingpin. But Eleanor and her hubbie are Splitsville--she never wants to see him again. 

When roguish newspaperman Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe) charms Eleanor into helping him track down the hidden husband--there are unexpected, stunning, and poignant results. This nervy, shot-on-location thriller is a witty and wise look at the travails of romance and marriage, and perhaps the best cinematic depiction ever of mid-20th century San Francisco. 

 

 

 October 2021

Horror/Suspense

The Innkeepers

2011 / 102 Mins / R 

After over one hundred years of service, The Yankee Pedlar Inn is shutting its doors for good. The last remaining employees--Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy)--are determined to uncover proof of what many believe to be one of New England's most haunted hotels. As the Inn's final days draw near, odd guests check in as the pair of minimum wage "ghost hunters" begin to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the hotel's long unexplained history. 

 

XX 

2017 / 81 Mins / R 

Four dark horror stories by women: Annie Clark with THE BIRTHDAY PARTY; Karyn Kusama exorcises HER ONLY LIVING SON; Roxanne Benjamin screams DON'T FALL; and Jovanka Vuckovic dares to open THE BOX. Award-winning Sofia Carrillo wraps it all together. 

 

Season of the Witch 

1972/ 90 Mins / R 

Perhaps the most unclassifiable of filmmaker George A. Romero's works, 1972's SEASON OF THE WITCH sees the Night of the Living Dead filmmaker returning to the realm of the supernatural for this bewitching tale of a housewife driven to an interest in the dark arts. 

On the surface, Joan Mitchell has it all - family, friends, and a beautiful home equipped with all the latest appliances. But when a neighbor educates her on the practice of witchcraft, Joan believes she's discovered the perfect antidote to her monotonous suburban existence and embarks upon a dark path that will lead to a shocking conclusion. 

 

Prom Night

 1980/ 93 Mins / R 

On prom night, a masked killer stalks teenagers responsible for the accidental death of a girl years earlier. With scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis ("Halloween") and Leslie Nielsen ("Airplane"). 

 

The Hills Have Eyes

 1977/ 90 Mins / R 

Horror master Wes Craven achieved critical and commercial success with the likes of Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street - but for many genre fans, the director's seminal effort THE HILLS HAVE EYES remains his masterpiece. Taking a detour whilst on route to Los Angeles, the Carter family run into trouble when their campervan breaks down in the middle of the desert. Stranded, the family find themselves at the mercy of a group of monstrous cannibals lurking in the surrounding hills. With their lives under threat, the Carters are forced to fight back by any means necessary. 

 

September 2021

Short Films

What are you?

2019 / 21 Mins / Not Rated 

In this revealing documentary, eleven people with a range of backgrounds discuss what it is like being of mixed racial heritage within the context of North America. Each of the participants presents their unique outlook on growing up mixed and the challenges they've faced in their lives. 

No two experiences are identical when speaking about their journey of how each person came to perceive themselves. Many speak of the difference between how they saw themselves versus how the world at large treated them. There are several instances of being "othered" by friends and relatives alike or how seeds of doubt were planted at childhood to disrupt their own sense of self. The interviewees voice unique concerns about acceptance, culture, and society and how even their own self-identification undergoes shifts. 

 

Skin 

2018 / 21 Mins / R 

Inspired by real-life events, this Oscar-winning short is set In a small supermarket in a blue collar town, a black man smiles at a 10 year old white boy across the checkout aisle. This innocuous moment sends two gangs into a ruthless war that ends with a shocking backlash. 

Winner of the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. 

"It's a narrow treatment of a now pressingly relevant subject, but one that still rewards as a powerful, well-acted tale of personal redemption." - Dennis Harvey, Variety 

 

97% 

2013 / 9 Mins / Not Rated 

While riding the subway, Bert receives an dating app alert that the girl of his dreams is nearby. Now he has to find her in a crowded car before the train reaches the end of the line. 

Winner of Best Director and Best Actor at Shortcutz Amsterdam. 

 

Ave Maria 

2015 / 15 Mins / Not Rated 

An Israeli settler family crash their car outside an isolated convent in the occupied West Bank. Their only hope of getting home rests with five nuns who have taken a vow of silence. 

Academy Award Nominee - 2016 Oscars 

Official Selection/Short Film Competition - Cannes International Film Festival 2015 

 

 

Dear Mr. Shakespeare 

2017 / 6 Mins / Not Rated 

A reinterpretation and exploration of William Shakespeare's intentions when writing Othello. The film examines the play's racial themes in a historical and contemporary setting, while drawing wider parallels between immigration and blackness in the UK today. 

Nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. 

 

 

 

 

August 2021

Music Documentaries

 

A Band Called Death 

2012 / 96 Min / Not Rated 

Playing punk before punk existed, three teenage brothers formed a band but this was the era of Motown & they weren't given a shot. A BAND CALLED DEATH is the journey of what happened three decades later, when a '74 demo found success. 

 

Muscle Shoals 

2013 / 112 Min / Not Rated 

Located by the Tennessee River, MUSCLE SHOALS, Alabama has helped create some of the most important and resonant songs of all time. Gregg Allman and other musicians bear witness to MUSCLE SHOALS' magnetism, mystery and why it remains influential today. 

 

Echo in the Canyon 

2018 / 83 Min / PG-13 

This documentary celebrates the explosion of popular music that came out of LA's Laurel Canyon in the mid-60s as folk went electric and The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas and the Papas gave birth to the California Sound. 

It was a moment (1965 to 1967) when bands came to LA to emulate The Beatles and Laurel Canyon emerged as a hotbed of creativity and collaboration for a new generation of musicians who would soon put an indelible stamp on the history of American popular music. 

 

Amy

 2015 / 128 Min / R 

An Oscar-winner for Best Feature Documentary, AMY is a deeply moving portrait of 6-time Grammy winner Amy Winehouse using powerful first-hand footage to bring her story to life, showcasing both her incredible talent and her tragic demise from the dual forces of addiction and celebrity. 

 

Chavela

2017 / 94 Min / Not Rated 

CHAVELA is the captivating portrait of beloved singer Chavela Vargas, whose passionate renditions of popular Ranchera songs made her a beloved figure in Mexico, even as her androgynous appearance and unconventional life challenged norms of the day. After disappearing from the public eye for decades, Chavela makes a triumphant return to the stage, earning her a new level of international fame late in life. 

 

 

July 2021

Surprising Stories

Amazing Grace 

2019 / 89 Min. / Not-Rated 

A documentary presenting the live recording of Aretha Franklin's album AMAZING GRACE at The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972. 

 

Three Identical Strangers 

2018 / 97 Min. / Not-Rated 

An amazing reunion of identical triplets, separated at birth to three different families, begins to unearth an unimaginable twisted secret. 

Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program, Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Documentary Storytelling at the Sundance Film Festival. 

 

The Falconer 

2020/ 73 Min. / Not-Rated 

Rodney Stotts is one of only a handful of African American falconers in the country, and a local celebrity of sorts. He's also a former drug dealer, inmate, single father, drive-by-shooting victim, and survivor of the crack epidemic in Southeast, Washington DC- the most dangerous neighborhood in what was then the murder capital of the U.S. A self-proclaimed animal junkie, Rodney has relied on the healing power of nature throughout his life. In this intimate portrait, we join him over four years as he shares his passion for falconry and raptor rehabilitation. 

THE FALCONER is a story of second chances: for injured birds of prey, for an abandoned plot of land, for members of a stressed community, and for Rodney himself. 

 

Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin 

2019/ 69  Min. / TV-G 

Best-known for groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy works such as A Wizard of Earthsea, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin defiantly held her ground on the margin of "respectable" literature until the sheer excellence of her work, at long last, forced the mainstream to embrace fantastic literature. Her fascinating story has never before been captured on film. Produced with Le Guin's participation over the course of a decade, WORLDS OF URSULA K. LE GUIN is a journey through the writer's career and her worlds, both real and fantastic -- an intimate journey of self-discovery as she comes into her own as a major feminist author, opening new doors for the imagination and inspiring generations of women and other marginalized writers along the way. The film features stunning animation and reflections by literary luminaries including Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Michael Chabon, and more. 

Official Selection at the Mill Valley Film Festival. 

 

Teach: Tony Danza - Season 1

 

2010/ 6 episodes 

Mr. Danza arrives at Northeast High School in Philadelphia and meets most of the faculty, including his teaching advisor, David Cohn, and ball-busting principal, Linda Carroll. 

 

 

June 2021

Summer and Pride

Tangerine

 2015 / 88 Mins. / R 

Sin-Dee is back. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend was unfaithful during the days she was jailed, the sex worker and her friend, Alexandra, set out to get to the bottom of this. Their odyssey leads them through subcultures of Los Angeles. 

Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival. 

 

Stonewall Uprising  

2010 / 83 Mins. / Not Rated PBS Documentary 

In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. Such raids were not unusual in the late 1960s, an era when homosexual sex was illegal in every state but Illinois. That night, however, the street erupted into violent protests and demonstrations that lasted for the next six days. 

The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world. 

 

The Spectacular Now 

2013 / 96 Mins. / R 

Sutter Keely (Miles Teller), a high school kid with effortless charm and the self-proclaimed "life of the party," is having the perfect senior year -- until he loses both his girlfriend and his part-time job. But when he meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley), the "nice girl" next door, an unlikely romance begins as Sutter and Aimee struggle to overcome their differences and help each other through the many challenges of growing up. 

Nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Female Lead at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. 

 

The Endless Summer 

1966/ 92 Mins. / PG 

This classic documentary is the ultimate surfing adventure, crossing the globe in search of the perfect wave. From the uncharted waters of West Africa, to the shark-filled seas of Australia, to the tropical paradise of Tahiti and beyond, two California surfers, Robert August and Mike Hynson, accomplish in a few months what most people never do in a lifetime: they live their dream. Director Bruce Brown created a film so powerful, it has become a timeless masterpiece that continues to capture the imagination of every new generation. 

When THE ENDLESS SUMMER first played in theaters, audiences lined up to see it again and again, spellbound by its thrilling excitement and awesome photography. But in fact, what is most compelling about the film is the surfing itself---once you've seen it, your search may never end... 

 

 

May 2021

Mother's Day

 

Gloria Bell

2018 / 102 Mins. / R 

Gloria (Julianne Moore) is a free-spirited divorcée who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles. 

 

FRONTLINE - Kind Hearted Woman

2013 / 283 Mins. / Not Rated 

In a special two-part series, acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland (The Farmer's Wife, Country Boys) creates an unforgettable portrait of Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old divorced single mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota's Spirit Lake Reservation. 

Sutherland follows Robin over three years as she struggles to raise her two children, further her education, and heal herself from the wounds of sexual abuse she suffered as a child. Kind Hearted Woman is a special co-presentation of FRONTLINE and Independent Lens. 

 

Mom and Me

Tough Guys and the Women Who Raised Them 

2017 / 77 Mins. / Not Rated 

Oklahoma was recently voted the manliest state in the USA. Radio talk show host Joe Cristiano wants to investigate if the manliest men are willing to call in and discuss their mothers on air. These men come from all walks of life, and their mothers are just as complicated. 

Together they ride horses, shoot guns, and discuss their deepest feelings, proving the only people stronger than these men are the women who raised them. 

Winner of Best Documentary at the Cleveland International Film Festival. 

 

Look At Us Now, Mother! 

2016 / 84 Mins. / Not Rated 

Emmy award-winning Filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum presents a raw, fearless but bitingly funny portrait of both her childhood, fraught with humiliation, and her adulthood scarred by its fallout. Woven together from decades of personal home movies, photos and videos, LOOK AT US NOW invites audiences to join her on her quest to love, understand, and forgive her aging mother before it's too late. 

As these two formidable women travel down the bumpy road of discovery, their relationship changes before our eyes, and teaches a universal lesson of family dynamics, empathy and the power of forgiveness. 

 

 

April 2021

Academy Award Winners and Nominees

  

Lady Bird

2017 / 94 Min. / R 

Directed by Greta Gerwig and nominated for five Oscars, LADY BIRD is a warm, affecting comedy about a high schooler (Saoirse Ronan) who must navigate a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf) over the course of her eventful and poignant senior year of high school. 
Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Film Independent Spirit Award winner for Best Screenplay. 

 

 

Almost Famous 

2000 / 124 Min. / R 

A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour. 
Winner of Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards and the BAFTA Awards. Winner of Best Motion Picture - Comedy and Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes. 

 

 

Eighth Grade

2018 / 94 Min. / R 

Thirteen-year-old Kayla (Elsie Fisher) endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school--the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year--before she begins high school. 
Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globes. Winner of the Best First Screenplay Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Winner of a WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay. 

 

 

The Phone Call 

2013 / 22 Min. / TV-14 
 
This Oscar-award winning short film follows Heather (Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water, Blue Jasmine), a shy lady who works at a helpline call center. When she receives a phone call from a mystery man she has no idea that the encounter will change her life forever. 
Winner of Best Short Film, Live Action at the Academy Awards. Winner of Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

 

 

England Is Mine 

2017/ 95 mins. / Not Rated 

Seventeen-year-old Steven Patrick Morrissey is a shy dreamer amid the tough, macho world of 1970s Manchester; a world away from the life he'll one day lead as the frontman for seminal 80's band The Smiths. He spends most of his time writing savage music letters to the NME to avoid his parents' deteriorating relationship until he reluctantly takes an office job he hates to support the family. His dream of being the lead singer of a band is put on hold. 
Encouraged by artist Linder Sterling, Steven forms 'The Nosebleeds.' Their first gig receives such a rapturous response that Steven starts skiving off work in favor of working toward a management deal. But things quickly fall apart for Steven: he's fired from his job, Linden moves to London, and the management deal for 'The Nosebleeds' goes forward -- without him. Suddenly Steven has no money, no band, and no friends. 
Nominated for The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Nominated for Best Feature Film at the Milan Film Festival. 
 

 

March 2021

Women's History Month

 

The Girls in the Band

Female Jazz Musicians 

2013/ 87 mins. / Not Rated 

The award-winning documentary film THE GIRLS IN THE BAND tells the poignant, untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their fascinating, history-making journeys from the late 30s to the present day. The many first-hand accounts of the challenges faced by these talented women provide a glimpse into decades of racism and sexism that have existed in America. 

They wiggled, they jiggled, they wore low cut gowns and short shorts, they kowtowed to the club owners and smiled at the customers...and they did it all just to play the music they loved. In the thirties and forties, hundreds of women musicians toured the country in glamorous All-Girl Bands, while others played side by side with their male counterparts. Yet, by the mid-fifties, female jazz musicians had literally disappeared from the workplace, their names and their contributions to music completely forgotten. Today, there is a new breed of gifted young women taking their rightful place in the world of jazz, which can no longer deny their talents. 

 

 

Anita 

Speaking Truth to Power 

 

2013/ 77 mins/ Not-Rated 

Against a backdrop of sex, politics, and race, ANITA reveals the intimate story of a woman who spoke truth to power. 

An entire country watched as a poised, beautiful African-American woman sat before a Senate committee of 14 white men and with a clear, unwavering voice recounted the repeated acts of sexual harassment she had endured while working with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Anita Hill's graphic testimony was a turning point for gender equality in the U.S. and ignited a political firestorm about sexual harassment and power in the workplace that resonates still today. 

Against a backdrop of sex, politics, and race, ANITA reveals the story of a woman who has empowered millions to stand up for equality and justice. 

Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival and the Hot Docs Film Festival. 

 

 

Bombshell

The Hedy Lamarr Story 

2017/ 89 mins. / Not Rated 

Austrian actress Hedy Lamarr fled an oppressive marriage to create a name for herself as one of Hollywood's top leading ladies in the 1940s. Behind the glamour and sex appeal, though, was a talented and inquisitive inventor who created a radio system that is now considered the basis of Bluetooth technology. 

 

 

I Was a Teenage Feminist  

A Personal Journey into the Heart of Feminism 

2008/ 63 mins/ PG 

Why is it that some young, independent, progressive women in today's society feel uncomfortable identifying with the F-word? Join filmmaker Therese Shechter as she takes a funny, moving and very personal journey into the heart of feminism. Armed with a video camera and an irreverent sense of humor, Shechter talks with feminist superstars, rowdy frat boys, liberated Cosmo girls and Radical Cheerleaders, all in her quest to find out whether feminism can still be a source of personal and political power. 

With home movies clips of Shechter as a budding feminist, archival materials from old health classes, and music by Ani DiFranco, Lavababy, Gina Young, Moxie Starpark and the legendary Helen Reddy, I WAS A TEENAGE FEMINIST redefines the F-Word for a new generation. 

 

A Classy Broad 

The First Woman Vice President at United Artists 

2016/  92 mins /Not Rated 

At a time when gender inequality seems to be at the forefront in Hollywood, Marcia Nasatir's story is one fueled by reservoirs of feminism and movie palace intrigue. 

Director Anne Goursaud, known for her editing work in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders and Bram Stoker's Dracula, walks viewers through how Marcia's passion for storytelling led her to work in publishing and ultimately out West in film, eventually becoming VP of Production at United Artists. An achievement no other woman before her had ever accomplished. 

 

Growing Up Female  

Women Talk About Socialization and Gender Roles 

1971/ 50 mins / Not Rated 

This is the very first film of the modern women's movement. Produced in 1971, it caused controversy and exhilaration. It was widely used by consciousness-raising groups to generate interest and help explain feminism to a skeptical society. The film looks at female socialization through a personal look into the lives of six women, age 4 to 35, and the forces that shape them--teachers, counselors, advertising, music and the institution of marriage. It offers us a chance to see how much has changed--and how much remains the same. 

 

 

 

February 2021

Three Documentaries and a Thriller

 

The Two Faces of January

2015 /1 hr 36 mins / PG-13 

This thriller follows Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst) as they befriend a guide (Oscar Isaac) on a European trip. This friendship takes a turn when it morphs into a love triangle full of envy, and murder. 

 

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden 

Uncovering a Series of Unsolved Disappearances on a Remote Island 

2013 / 2 hrs / Not Rated 

A fascinating documentary portrait of a 1930's murder mystery as strange and alluring as the famous archipelago itself. 

Fleeing conventional society, a German doctor and his mistress start a new life on uninhabited Floreana Island. But after the international press sensationalizes the exploits of the Galapagos' "Adam and Eve", others flock there, including a self-styled Swiss Family Robinson and a gun-toting Viennese Baroness and her two lovers. Clashing personalities are aggravated by the island community's lusty free-love ethos, and when some of the islanders disappear, suspicions of murder hang in the air leaving an unsolved mystery which remains the subject of local lore today. Official Selection at the Berlin International Film Festival.  

 

Always At The Carlyle 

New York's Most Glamorous (and Discreet) Hotel

2018 / 1 hr 31 mins / PG-13 

While the walls at The Carlyle Hotel don't talk, they definitely whisper... 

ALWAYS AT THE CARLYLE brings to life the untold stories of the legendary New York hotel from its own employees and top guests George Clooney, Jeff Goldblum, Anthony Bourdain, Wes Anderson, Jon Hamm & more. 

"[An] insightful and occasionally revealing look at the 88-year-old Manhattan institution where the rich and famous enjoy being rich and famous." - Richard Roeper, The Chicago Sun-Times 

"What looks at first like it might be a 92-minute commercial for a venerable luxury hotel... turns out to be something quite different - something more melancholy and elegiac than a simple celebration of refined indulgence." - Matthew Lickona, The San Diego Reader 

 

Beatles: How the Beatles Changed the World

017 / 110 Min. / TV-PG 

A fascinating story of the cultural, social, spiritual and musical revolution that was ignited by The Beatles, with revealing interviews and rarely-seen archival footage of the band.